3M announced that the global manufacturing and technology company is committed to move to 100% renewable electricity in all its facilities around the world, beginning with its own headquarters. “3M is flipping the switch to becoming powered 100% by renewable energy,” said 3M CEO Mike Roman. “We are continuing to step up our leadership toward…
The ABCs of fall protection
About every 10 minutes in the United States somebody gets hurt from something falling. That “something” is typically an object or tool from a construction site, which may be at a wind farm. Effective fall protection requires a combination of products working together, often described as the ABC’s of fall protection. The anchorage connector, body support,…
Webinar: Friction Shims as Enabler for Light Weight Design in Wind Turbines
This webinar was presented live on Thursday, November 16, 2017. Click below to watch on demand. This webinar will show how to reduce weight of flange connections and simplify designs with the help of 3M TM friction shims. The functional principle of friction shims will be explained and application examples will be shown.…
How vortex generators boost wind-turbine performance and AEP
By Michelle Froese, Senior editor Windpower Engineering & Development Meeting AEP or annual energy production targets is an ongoing challenge in the wind industry. AEP is the amount of electricity a wind farm generates over one year. While any faulty turbine component can impact energy production, analyzing the aerodynamic design of turbine blades is one…
3M Personal Safety Div helps companies solve health and safety challenges with PPE at NSC 2017
3M’s new virtual reality training tools fall within its newly-defined six elements of 3M’s Science of Safety: Industry Experience, Hazard Awareness, Regulatory Knowledge, Innovative Technologies, Quality Products and Education & Training.
3M to feature virtual reality educational experiences for fall protection
3M Personal Safety Division will be featuring the “3M Science of Safety” at the National Safety Council Congress & Expo (NSC) beginning September 25th in Indianapolis, Indiana. In addition to highlighting new products and access to its credentialed technical service team, 3M is offering virtual reality training demonstrations for fall protection, fall protection for tools, and welding safety. Each of these…
3M’s DBI-SALA Comfort Grip Connector gives workers at height flexibility to anchor in multiple orientations
Working at height requires movement. Workers need to connect and reconnect their snap hooks dozens – or even several dozens of times – a day. The new 3M DBI-SALA Comfort Grip Connector from 3M Fall Protection improves connecting and disconnecting while providing flexibility to anchor efficiently and comfortably in multiple orientations. “The search for a connector that can…
Seven elements of a well-devised hearing conservation program
Dr. Laurie Wells, Doctor of Audiology 3M | www.3M.com/CHC Manufacturing and construction sites are typically noisy places. Prolonged exposure to loud, aggravating, and excessive sounds can have harmful effects on worker health. However, symptoms are not always immediate or obvious because noise-induced hearing loss typically happens gradually. Over time, excessive noise exposure may damage the…
3M partners with Camp Six Labs for use of drones for wind-turbine O&M
To reduce wind-turbine downtime that can affect annual energy production (AEP), 3M recently announced an agreement with Camp Six Labs, a provider of drone-based infrastructure maintenance. It will apply 3M products to wind-turbine blades using the soon-to-be developed Camp Six robotic applicators. The strategic collaboration will help wind-turbine owners achieve optimal performance and return on…
Webinar: New Safety Requirements for Climbing Ladder Fall Arrest Systems (CLFAS) — ANSI/ASSE Z359.16 Latest Revision
This webinar was recorded on Wednesday, August 30, 2017. Click below to watch the webinar on demand. The new ANSI/ASSE Z359.16 standard establishes requirements for vertically-oriented climbing ladder fall arrest systems (CLFAS). This webinar will walk through how this change impacts the performance, design, qualification testing, instructions for use, and many other issues related to your…
3M launches new center for hearing conservation at job sites
Operating a successful workplace hearing conservation program is just one of many challenging tasks health and safety managers face. Each day, they must enforce all applicable rules and regulations while providing the right equipment, training, and support for their noise-exposed workforce. To help make this task easier, 3M Personal Safety Division has launched a new online resource, the 3M…
EDF to install 3M Wind Vortex Generators on turbine blades across the U.S.
O&M provider, EDF Renewable Services, has announced a new agreement to install 3M Wind Vortex Generators on wind turbines across the U.S. The collaboration will leverage the materials expertise of 3M with the skilled installation and wind- turbine blade repair teams from EDF to provide wind-plant owners with turnkey solutions to increase efficiency and maximize annual energy…
3M to highlight equipment inspection & dropped tool prevention during 2017 OSHA Safety Stand-Down
Falls from height continue to be the leading cause of death for construction employees, accounting for 364 fatalities recorded in 2015, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). To remind and educate employers in the construction industry about the dangers from falls and dropped tools, 3M Fall Protection is participating in the OSHA National…
A few ideas for fall protection: How to stop dropped tools at height
By Michael Caldwell, Business Development Manager 3M | 3M/wind.com This article is part of Windpower Engineering & Development’s April 2017 issue. A complete digital version of the issue is here. Dropped objects are neither a recent problem nor exclusive to the wind industry. In 1903, for example, the New York Times published a front-page article on construction…
Webinar: Next Generation Leading Edge Protection for the lifetime of the Wind Turbine
3M’s next generation wind protection tape has 5X times the performance of standard leading edge protection. The tape can be applied even in the harshest environment in the field. Santhosh Chandrabalan will guide us through the importance of Wind Turbine Edge Protection as well as weathering impacts on wind blades and how it…
3M offers new SecureFit Protective Eyewear 600 series
Job sites are unpredictable. Environmental conditions and tasks can vary widely from day to day. In response, 3M Personal Safety Division has expanded its SecureFit Protective Eyewear line. The new 3M SecureFit Protective Eyewear 600 Series has many new features, such as 3M Pressure Diffusion Temple (PDT) Technology. PDT provides for a more secure and comfortable…
What should wind technicians know about fall-protection equipment?
Good training is about meeting the specific needs of workers based on the type of work they’ll perform,” says John Eckel, Sr. Technical Training Specialist at Miller Fall Protection
Fall Protection Inspection and Care, what you don’t know can hurt you
Wind Turbines can be a dirty environment full of various kinds of oils, paints, solvents, and lubricants. Daily inspection for obvious wear and tear like cuts and rips are normal but what about the dirt, oil and other contaminants that can get on the product, are we paying attention to the less obvious hazards? In…
3M offers new detachable sleeve for safer fixed-ladder climb
3M offers the new Lad-Saf X3 Detachable Cable Sleeve with carabiner and dual-independent locking system, which fits a solid core cable. The Lad-Saf X3 3/8″ (9.5mm) Detachable Cable Sleeve is part of a permanently installed ladder safety system. It is designed to work with many different styles and lengths of ladders on structures, such as wind…
3M’s PELTOR headsets protect in high-noise environments
Workers that need to wear hearing protection on the job often have diverse safety and usability concerns. In fields such as manufacturing, allowing for communication while blocking out consistent loud noises is important. “While the primary objective of personal protective equipment is to protect users from hazards, it should be designed in a way that…